One of the people responsible for the current-day Louisville Courier-Journal was from Maysville.
According to local historian Ron Bailey, Walter Newman Haldeman was born in Maysville on April 27, 1821, to Elizabeth and John Haldeman.
He attended the Maysville Academy, alongside Ulysses S. Grant, William Wadsworth and William “Bull” Nelson.
“He and his family moved to Louisville when he was 16. He started out working as a clerk for the Louisville Journal newspaper in 1840,” Bailey said.
Later, Haldeman founded his newspaper called the Daily Dime, which was later changed to the Louisville Courier. The paper was pro-secessionist before and during the Civil War.
However, after the war ended, Haldeman merged the paper with his cross-town rival, the Louisville Journal, which had been a pro-union paper. This created the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Haldeman became president of the joint paper.
It is still operational today, now owned by the Gannett Company.
According to Bailey, Haldeman also worked with Kentucky U.S. Senator and Confederate General John Stuart Williams to develop Naples, Fla.
“Today, if you visit Naples, Mr. Haldeman’s summer cottage the Historic Palm Cottage is considered the oldest home in Naples and is a museum,” Bailey said.
Haldeman also owned the Louisville Grays baseball team and was a charter member of the National League.
Bailey said Haldeman died in Louisville on May 14, 1902. He was suffering from injuries sustained by being hit by a street car the previous week.
